Purdue University
13-Jul-00
Quiz: Foods from Genetically Modified Crops
Library: SCI
Keywords: PURDUE FOOD GMO BIOTECHNOLOGY GENES NUTRITION
Description: Many Americans don't think they know enough about using
genetically modified crops as sources of food to know whether they agree
with those who pressed for these changes. A plant scientist and expert in
GMO crops at Purdue University has developed nine questions to test one's
knowledge of genetically modified foods and agricultural biotechnology.
Purdue University
News Service
1132 Engineering Administration Building
West Lafayette, IN 47907-1132
765-494-2096
FAX: 765-494-0401
July 13, 2000
Quiz Yourself About Foods Made From Genetically Modified Crops
Source: Peter Goldsbrough, (765) 494-1334; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Some food companies have stopped using genetically
modified crops as sources for their foods. But if you are like many
Americans, you may think you don't know enough about the issue to know
whether you agree or disagree with those who pressed for these changes. A
May 2000 survey by the International Food Information Council found that
only one in five Americans consider themselves informed about foods produced
with genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Peter Goldsbrough, a plant
scientist and expert in genetically modified crops at Purdue University, has
developed nine questions to test your knowledge of genetically modified
foods and agricultural biotechnology:
1. Have you eaten foods made from genetically modified crops?
a. Yes.
b. No.
2. Which foods use genetically modified organisms in their production to the
largest extent?
a. Cheese.
b. Vegetables.
c. Meat.
3. What are the current benefits of having foods made from genetically
modified crops?
a. They improve farm profitability and make some farmers' jobs easier.
b. They allow farmers to greatly increase the amount of crops produced.
c. They improve convenience for consumers, e.g. by creating foods with
longer shelf lives.
d. They improve the nutritional quality of foods.
e. They cause less damage to the environment than conventional
chemical-intensive agriculture.
4. Of the foods we eat, how much contains the genetic material DNA?
a. Less than 5 percent.
b. 20 percent.
c. 50 percent.
d. 80 percent.
e. Nearly 100 percent.
5. Most foods derived from genetically modified crops contain:
a. The same number of genes as food produced from conventional crops.
b. The same number of genes as foods produced from hybrid crops.
c. One or two additional genes.
d. Hundreds of additional genes.
e. No genes at all.
6. What effect does eating genetically modified foods have on your genes?
a. It could cause your own genes to mutate.
b. It could cause your own genes to absorb the excess genes.
c. It has no effect on your genes.
d. The effects on human genetics aren't known.
7. Are foods made from genetically modified crops required to pass human
testing?
a. Yes.
b. No.
8. Are foods derived from genetically modified crops required to be tested
for possible allergic reactions in people?
a. Yes.
b. No.
9. Are foods derived from genetically modified crops nutritionally superior?
a. Yes, they offer substantial health advantages over foods produced
from conventional crops.
b. Yes, they offer some health advantages over foods produced from
conventional crops.
c. No, they are neither better nor worse than foods from conventional
crops.
d. No, they are slightly less healthful than foods from conventional
crops.
e. No, foods produced from genetically modified crops are a known health
risk.
ANSWERS
1. Answer: a. Yes. "If you live in the United States, it's almost certain
that at one time or another you've eaten foods made from genetically
modified crops," Goldsbrough says. A large percentage of the corn and
soybeans grown in the United States comes from genetically modified plants,
and the crops from these plants are made into common food ingredients such
as high fructose corn syrup and vegetable oil as well as other food
additives. The corn syrup is used in a number of products, including soft
drinks, and the vegetable oil is used to fry foods such as fast-food french
fries. According to the Grocery Manufacturers of America, this year an
estimated 70 percent of the foods on grocery store shelves will have been
made or manufactured using genetically modified crops.
2. Answer: a. Cheese. Before the advent of genetically modified organisms,
cheese was produced using an enzyme obtained from the stomachs of calves
slaughtered for veal. Now genetically modified bacteria produce that same
protein. One result of this is that many cheeses are now considered Kosher.
3. Answer: a. They improve farm profitability and make some farmers' jobs
easier. Right now, genetically modified crops have made life a little bit
easier for the nation's farmers who use them. However, scientists and
farmers believe that soon all of the answers will be true: genetically
modified crops will create foods that are more nutritious, have longer shelf
lives, contain fewer pesticides, and are produced with less damage to the
environment.
4. Answer: e. Nearly 100 percent. All plant and animal cells contain DNA, so
nearly all food contains genetic material regardless of whether the food has
been genetically modified. There are a few exceptions, however. "During the
processing of some food products, such as vegetable cooking oils, almost all
of the DNA is removed," Goldsbrough says.
5. Answer: c. One or two additional genes. Genetically modified crops
contain one or two additional genes than either conventional or hybrid
crops.
6. Answer: c. It has no effect on your genes. "Genes in foods are easily
digested and there is no evidence that these new genes are going to have any
affect on our genes," Goldsbrough says.
7. Answer: b. No. "There are currently no regulations that require human
testing of these crops," Goldsbrough says. "The producers are required by
the Food and Drug Administration to say where the genes come from and to
disclose nutritional properties, but that is as far as the requirements go."
8. Answer: b. No. There are no requirements to test whether genetically
modified crops cause allergic reactions. "When Pioneer put genes from brazil
nuts into foods and found that they did cause an allergic reaction by using
skin tests, they stopped research on that product," Goldsbrough says. So far
this system appears to work. When conventional new foods are introduced into
the U.S. market --such as kiwi fruit -- allergic reactions are common. But
after three years of widespread use in the United States, no allergic
reactions to genetically modified crops have been reported.
9. Answer: c. No. They are neither better nor worse than foods from
conventional crops. "Most of the genetically modified crops currently
available are designed to reduce farmers' production costs. Under some
circumstances there may be less pesticides used, and there is some
indication that genetically modified corn is less likely to be infected with
fungal toxins that are natural carcinogens, but the overall health effect of
these benefits is minor," Goldsbrough says. "In the future these
technologies hold the promise of delivering foods that are nutritionally
enhanced. For example, foods might provide essential vitamins or contain
natural compounds that can help improve your health."
swt/0007 AP Goldsbrough.foodquiz
Writer: Steve Tally, (765) 494-9809; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Related Web sites:
Goldsbrough's professional web site:
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/hort/people/faculty/goldsbrough.html
Biotechnology time line: http://www.ncbiotech.org/aboutbt/timeline.cfm
International Food Information Council Foundation survey on consumer views
on biotechnology: http://ificinfo.health.org/foodbiotech/survey.htm
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